An Affordable Moana Birthday Party

When I began searching for Moana themed birthday party ideas for my two year old's party, I was underwhelmed. Every Pinterest and Google search revealed extravagant, over-the-top, expensive custom decor. Ain't nobody got time for that! He's turning two; he probably won't even remember it! I wanted him to have a fun day, with a theme from his favorite movie, but I wasn't willing to break the bank to accomplish it. Here's how I threw a memorable party for under $50.

Decorations

I hit the Dollar Tree for decorations. Since his birthday is in June, there were lots of summer Luau themed options. I picked a couple of garlands, a palm tree, a table cloth that looked like a grass skirt, hot pink plastic silverware, spunky colored napkins, and bright flowery plates. I also picked up some colorful leis to double as fun party wear and a take home favor. I got all of it for $15. I reused a 'Happy Birthday' banner I had on hand, and put a couple of fun leftover streamers around it. The only thing that didn't work out like I wanted was the table cloth. I thought it was a full table cloth, and it ended up being just a grass skirt for a table. Had I known, I'd have grabbed an actual table cloth in a contrasting color to add more to my colorful theme.

 

Food

The most important food at any birthday party is obviously the cake! We got this gorgeous cake from Costco ($18). I chose the beach theme, then asked them to leave off all the beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. and just write his name. I picked up the Maui and Moana figurines at Target on clearance for $6 and added them myself. 

Birthday Boy enjoying his cake on his luau themed plate.

 In terms of snacks, I got creative. Here's the menu:

Maui's sun (Pineapple rings, watermelon in shape of sun)

Tamatoa's seafood (goldfish)

PB &Jellyfish/ star fish sandwiches (PB and J cut into shapes with cookie cutters)

Coral Reef (Cheetos)

Lolotai Seaweed (Grapes on a skewer)

Sea Snails (mini hot dogs in crescent roll strips)

To add some flair, I put the grape skewers in the pineapple husk. I put the bright plastic silverware in plastic cups, and put the cutesy named food labels out so people could enjoy my hilarious commitment to theme (also, my niece mentioned she loved my food puns at the last few birthday parties, so the pressure was on!)

For the goody bags, I put blue Sixlets in a snack size bag with goldfish, swedish fish, and gummy sharks.

Going 90s

Overall, I'm really pleased with how it all turned out. The decor made the porch feel nice and festive, everyone loved the food (and my niece was a fan of the continued puns, so #winning!), and our now two year old had a blast. We may not have had a custom balloon arch with life-size Moana cut out, but what would I do with that after the party anyway!? I like 90s style parties, like I had as a kid, with kids running around, yummy cake, and a few decorations. If my kiddos have fun, I'm a happy mama.

How do you like to do your kid's parties?